S Korea, India to mark independence struggle through art

Displaying the swiftly growing South Korea - India cultural exchanges, an exhibition marking the centenary of the first display of Korean anti-colonial resistance will open in New Delhi, while a show on Mahatma (Mohandas Karamchand) Gandhi’s Dandi March will travel to a South Korean museum next year.

The exhibition, “100th Anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement: One Shiny Day”, commemorating the spirit of the March 1 Movement – a pioneering display of anti-colonial sentiment against its coloniser Japan - will open at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) on August 14 and will continue till September 29.

The entire Korean Peninsula was under Japanese occupation for 35 years, between 1910 and 1945, before the Korean War (1950-53) separated it into two nations, North and South.

On March 1, 1919, people from different walks of life, regardless of their region, status and wealth, joined the movement, clearly showing the people’s will for independence at home and abroad.

The exhibition is a display of art inspired by the Korean North-South divide, the Korean War refugees, downfall of Korean imperialists, and the first freedom struggle and people’s solidarity.

“The exhibition will display the artworks of 12 artists teams: KWON Hayoun, KIM BoMin, KIM Woojo, BAE Sungmi, SHON Sunghyun, AHN Eun-me, AHN Changhong, LEE Sanghyun, LEE Woosung, JEONG Jae-wan and JO Dongwhan + JO Haejun,” the Korean Cultural Centre India said in a statement.

The exhibition will also celebrate 15th August, which is the Independence Day of both India and the Korean Peninsula nations - North and South.

“The exhibition presents the underlying theme of the sorrow and restoration of South Korea, that has a similar modern history to India. I hope the artworks promote mutual understanding and shared values of both people of India and Korea,” said Shin Bong-kil, South Korea’s Ambassador to India.

To deepen bilateral Korea-India friendship through shared culture, NGMA’s in-house curated exhibition on Gandhi’s ‘Salt March’ in Dandi, will open next year at Daegu Art Museum in Daegu, South Korea.

The show of sculptures, paintings, sketches and art installations will signify the non-violent independence movements of both the Indian and the Korean people. The multimedia exhibition, “Dandi Yatra,” is part of the year-long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi and can be currently viewed at NGMA in New Delhi.